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Plan on ringing in the New Year with friends at their home in upstate New York, near Cooperstown, most famed as home of Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame. It's a beautiful, largely rustic area and charming village, highly recommended for its amenities and quaintness. I resolve in 2014 to continue to try to live in harmony with God's will for my life, key to a life of serenity and purpose, in my view.

The question reminds me though of my most disappointing New Year's Eve, among many. On New Year's Eve in 1973 I was in London by myself and looking to partake of what I presumed was a spectacular and uniquely British welcome to the New Year, I ventured out of my hotel room, clambered into the Underground, and hopped a train for Big Ben. I got there with only a few minutes remaining in the year, and was astounded to see upon emerging from the train station that the only other celebrants in sight were a man and a woman, locked in an embrace as the clock struck 12. I learned that the crowd I was hoping for was actually at Hyde Park. I was, in a word, chagrined. The take-away lesson: When in doubt, ask!

Further to Gerry's observation, London in 1973 if you were a long-haired, bearded student with a broad Irish accent, was not the most welcoming spot on the Globe.

My resolutions for 2014 include eating more good real Irish food, spending more time on the language before I have to grope for everyday words that I've forgotten, being true to my Gaelic upbringing in every way and being tolerant of those who won't or can't subscribe to all the above.

2014 is here. I spent it with my daughter and her family at their condo. in Vernon, NJ. It's a ski resort and they are all avid skiers and snow boarders. I just enjoyed the scenery of the mountain, it was snowing softly on and off which added to the enjoyment. Lots of energetic young people to help me ring in the New Year. I wish all at The WildGeese a Very Happy and Healthy New Year.